Some of Our Corporate Partners & Relationships

Thienes Engineering
HPA Architects
GAA Architects
Psomas Environmental
Newport Equities, Inc.
U.S. Bank
Fullmer Construction
Huitt-Zollars Engineering
Millie & Severson
Penwood Select Industrial Partners, LLC
Wells Fargo Bank
Webb & Associates
Shaw Development Company
Lusardi Construction
MAA Architects
Urban Crossroads
Equity Building Services




The RDP Mission

RDP Development, Inc. was founded as a lean, hands-on operating platform with vast experience and resources. Our mission is to provide high-integrity, best-in-class, full-scope, corporate real estate development management services to our partners and clients.

We are driven from within by high-integrity, fully-accountable professional relationships that transcend into our project teams of architects, engineers, contractors and consultants. The result for our partners and clients is “total transparency” and ownership of our actions. Our mission is to provide such a high level of competency and service that our partners and clients want to do business with us over and over again.

Our business philosophy and approach with each relationship and development project starts with an attitude of “respect” and “servant leadership”. We consider all our business relationships “partnerships” with a relatively flat hierarchy. We recognize the expertise, talent and gifts of our partners and project team members and orchestrate the complex disciplines and processes to achieve the best possible objectives. Operating realistically within today’s complex development entitlement world, we are pro-active to sophisticated institutional demands with a highly entrepreneurial spirit.

About Us

RDP Development, Inc. has a 37+ year history in corporate real estate brokerage, brokerage management and development, investment and consulting. Since 1985, the sole purpose of the company has been to focus on commercial real estate development and development project management. On some projects, RDP functions as a Managing Principal of the single purpose entity (“SPE”). On other projects, RDP operates solely as a Development Manager for third party ownership under a Development Management Agreement (“DMA”).

Whether as a Managing Principal or operating under a DMA, RDP does not typically take direct titled ownership in real estate. It only serves as the operational/management company within other joint venture structures.

In the 37+ years in operation, neither RDP, no its principal Russell D. Pierce, have been named in a lawsuit or been forced to settle, offset or mitigate any claims for which it was named and/or deemed liable.

RDP only works with the “best-in-class” bonded and insured investors, brokers, architects, engineers, consultants and contractors to entitle and develop its projects.

RDP History

RDP Development Inc., a California corporation (“RDP”), founded by Russell D. Pierce, has been engaged in the corporate real estate development services and principal development business since 1985. With its principal’s early beginnings in the commercial real estate brokerage and brokerage management business, RDP transitioned into the corporate real estate principal development and development services business. Although RDP has developed a full spectrum of commercial properties (industrial, office and retail / specialty) over its 37+ year history, industrial / logistics properties have always been its core property type.

As a principal / investor and/or as a development manager, RDP has developed over 5.8 million square feet of buildings on more than 389.15 acres of land valued at over $650 million. With experience developing build-to-suit projects throughout the U.S. and speculative projects primarily in Southern California, RDP is a “full-spectrum” developer. RDP’s activities and services begin with opportunity / relationship identification and carry through every phase of a project’s development, including; site selection and transaction negotiation, project feasibility and due diligence analysis, land acquisition, project entitlement / permitting, design and budgeting, construction administration / management, etc., and culminate with project closeout and stabilization / disposition. Throughout the process, RDP is “hands-on” in the selection and management of the team of professionals (financial partners, architects / engineers, consultants, contractors, etc.) necessary to complete the critical paths to meet the project’s primary objectives of schedule, budget and quality.

Our "Excellence-Demanding" Clients

Master
Developer
Preferred Developer
Preferred Developer
Preferred Developer
Russell D. Pierce
President & CEO






RDP Executive Team

  • Russell Pierce
    President & CEO

    Office: (858) 756-1500

    Mobile: (858) 245-7254

    rpierce@rdpdev.com

    As the hands-on founder and principal of RDP Development, Inc., Mr. Pierce has personally managed the development of all of RDP's projects throughout multiple jurisdictions/markets in the United States. His full-scope development and consulting expertise includes all the elements of a successful project, from the opportunity/relationship to an income productive asset for all its partners. Having successfully navigated complex entitlement jurisdictions in cities such as New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles (to name just a few), Mr. Pierce is particularly valuable in “cutting a path through the clutter”. The result is achieving the most expeditious and cost effective means of project development, even in the most challenging jurisdictions and political climates.


    Mr. Pierce attended California State University, Fullerton from 1975-1979 majoring in Business Administration and Finance.  Mr. Pierce is a licensed California Real Estate Broker and is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). He is an active leader in his church and enjoys family time, hunting and fishing.  He is also a licensed (instrument rated) private pilot.

  • Aimee Ziegler
    Senior Project Administrator/Controller

    Office: (858) 756-1500

    Mobile: (760) 715-9815

    aziegler@rdpdev.com

    Aimee has worked with RDP and its partners as a Project Administrator/Controller since 2012. Aimee is responsible for all of RDP’s project accounting functions, including; monthly and interim draw processing, accounts payable, construction loan administration and project accounting reporting. Aimee is familiar with most types of contract-based accounting software and has easily adapted to a variety of proprietary project accounting systems meeting both private and institutional reporting demands.

    Aimee has been in the accounting field since 1986 for a variety of industries including retail, construction and restaurant operations.   She earned her B.A. in Business and Economics at Westmont College in Santa Barbara California.
  • Robert McClendon
    Senior Project Manager

    Office: (858) 756-1500

    Mobile: (619) 994-7800

    bobbmcclendon@rdpdev.com

    Bob has managed the development and construction of over 12 million square feet of commercial, industrial and logistics projects throughout the U.S. since 1979. Since 1998 Bob has been working with RDP Development, Inc. as a Senior Project Manager. During his career, Bob’s expertise and attention to detail in managing complex design, engineering and construction processes has led to multiple repeat build-to-suit projects for FedEx, FedEx Ground, Cox Communications, United Healthcare, Hitachi Home Electronics, Best Buy Stores, Industrial Property Trust and many other noteworthy corporate users.

     

    Bob earned his B.A. in Business Administration, with emphases in Accounting and Real Estate Finance, from California State University, Fullerton, and a Certificate in Commercial Real Estate Management from University of California, Irvine.

Testimonials

"When FedEx had to add over 20 new sort facilities throughout the U.S. in less than 4 years, we turned to MDG [with RDP Development, Inc. as its Managing Principal] as one of only two Master Developers for the subject land acquisition and development projects. When the other developer lost its capital source MDG/RDP stepped in as the sole Master Developer. RDP had excellent resources and innovative site selection/qualifying programs to quickly hone in on the sites that produced the greatest value for our operations. RDP also handled the entitlement processes in some of the most challenging jurisdictions in the country, such as New York City and San Francisco. All planned facilities were built on budget and on schedule. We were very pleased with the value and integrity RDP brought to the table."
John George, Director of Corporate Real Estate
"I have partnered millions of square feet of projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars with RDP over the last 15+ years. This is a high-risk business with a lot of money at stake. I will continue to do more business with RDP because Russell Pierce and his team have proven themselves to be extremely competent through all phases of development, from opportunity underwriting, complex design and entitlements through construction. Most importantly, RDP executes with exceptional professionalism and integrity! That’s the bottom line for me."
Don W. Oliphant, President
"Operating as a public REIT, we contract with a select group of qualified Development Managers to help us execute on building our portfolio of build-to-core, class-A logistics facilities throughout the U.S. With vast resources, knowledge and integrity, RDP is one of the best we have worked with. Their ability to identify the many complex critical path objectives and execute solutions to achieve the end-result of value and time-to-market is exceptional. RDP is highly responsive and complicit with all our accounting, reporting and regulatory requirements, with a hands-on entrepreneurial attitude. Russell Pierce and his team are a pleasure to work with and we look forward to many more successful projects together."
Peter Vanderburg, Senior Vice President of Development